Op 17 oktober 2019 vernietigde het Grondwettelijk Hof (hierna ‘GwH’) in het arrest nr. 138/2019 de wet van 7 februari 2018 houdende invoering van een taks op de effectenrekeningen (hierna ‘TER’) (BS 9 maart 2018). Ter ondersteuning van het vernietigingsberoep voerden de verzoekende partijen in wezen drie middelen aan, te weten: Schending van het gelijkheids- … Continue reading Vernietiging taks op effectenrekeningen. Next stop: Kirchberg?
Author: Joris Luts
(Para-) fiscal advantages for employee stock options and EU state aid law
On 5 July 2017, the European Commission (EC) has published an interesting decision (C(2017) 4237 final) with respect to a beneficial Swedish (para-) fiscal regime regarding employee share options for certain small and medium-sized companies (SA.47144). TL;DR - (Para-) fiscal advantage for employee stock options can constitute (in-) direct economic advantage for employer - Measures … Continue reading (Para-) fiscal advantages for employee stock options and EU state aid law
Spanish property tax exemption for Catholic Church not sacrosanct from State aid perspective
On 27 June 2017, the Court of Justice (CJ) – sitting in Grand Chamber – has rendered judgment in another fiscal State aid case concerning a tax exemption granted by Spain to the Catholic Church (Case C-74/16 Congregación de Escuelas Pías Provincia Betania). The case touches upon a number of interesting issues, which will be … Continue reading Spanish property tax exemption for Catholic Church not sacrosanct from State aid perspective
State aid: national courts struggling with selectivity requirement
TL;DR - Questions of selectivity of tax advantages increasingly raised by national authorities to deny application of such advantage - In case at hand, selectivity of 'intragroup restructuring' exemption with respect to real estate transfer tax examined by German Bundesfinanzhof, which has doubts and refers the matter to the Court of Justice Introduction In recent years, the interpretation … Continue reading State aid: national courts struggling with selectivity requirement
AG Opinion in tax treaty dispute brought before CJ
TL;DR - CJ has jurisdiction to rule in cases where disputes regarding the interpretation of double tax treaties have been voluntarily submitted to it - Link with EU law is not too strong, in that Member States would be obliged to submit such disputes to the CJ - However, CJ cannot issue injunctions to the Member … Continue reading AG Opinion in tax treaty dispute brought before CJ
X v Ministerraad: fairness tax partly incompatible with EU law
Case On May 17, 2017, the Court of Justice ('CJ') decided that the Belgian fairness tax is partially at odds with EU law (Case C-68/15 X v Ministerraad). As a recap, the fairness tax is a separate tax of 5,15% which is levied in the hands of a company that (1) distributes profits while (2) … Continue reading X v Ministerraad: fairness tax partly incompatible with EU law
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